Bangalore. March 28, 2012: The Art of Living and Ranjini Kalakendra hosted the historic event, ‘Sahasra Veena Jhenkara’, showcasing over 1110 veena artists on one platform for the very first time.
Held in the presence of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, spiritual and humanitarian leader and Founder, Art of Living, the event aimed to foster India’s ancient heritage of classical music, uplift and showcase the skills of the younger generation of veena practitioners and to epitomize the unifying power of music to spread the message of universal peace and harmony.
Emphasizing on the healing and soothing properties of music, Gurudev said,”In happy times your love for music is spontaneous. In tough times music can soothe, heal and de-stress you. So, make music an integral part of your life. The veena is the most ancient instrument known to mankind. Its resonance is still un-paralleled, captivating and takes you to another dimension. Eat music, drink music and sleep music till you can hear your soul song of eternity".
Emphasizing on the healing and soothing properties of music, Gurudev, said,”In happy times your love for music is spontaneous. In tough times music can soothe, heal and de-stress you. So, make music an integral part of your life. The veena is the most ancient instrument known to mankind. Its resonance is still un-paralleled, captivating and takes you to another dimension. Eat music, drink music and sleep music till you can hear your soul song of eternity".
Sri D.V. Sadananda Gowda, Ho'ble Chief Minister of Karnataka; Sri Aravind Limbavalli, MLA; Sri R.V.Deshpande, President, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee; Sri Venkatachalaiah, Former Chief Justice of India; Sri Tiru Swamiji, Isckon; Dr. P. Dayanand Pai, Chairman of Century group; Sri PC Mohan, Member of Parliament; Sri Ashok Kheny; among others were a part of the event.
The concert witnessed Veena exponents from Bangalore, Mangalore, Udupi, Mysore, Kollegala, Mandya, Tumkur, Chitradurga, Shimoga, among others and included performances by Senior Vainikas, Veena Gurus with their disciples playing together on one platform.
Exquisite compositions based on ancient ragas like raga Hamsadwani, Dhanashree, Brindavani, Kaapi, Hindola, Mayamalawagoula,Revati and Mohana enthralled the audience.
Speaking about the event Dr. Suparna Ravishanakar, Secretary, Ranjini Kalakendra and Ph.D. in Music who played an instrumental role in getting the artists from all across, said, “The inspiration behind this idea was the Art of Living’s Brahm Naad event in 2008 that brought 1094 sitarists on one platform for the first time in the world. It led me to realize that we need to create platforms not only to uplift practitioners of ancient arts but also enhance exposure of Indian classical music.”
A signature feature of this unique event is its attempt to gain entry into The Guinness Book of World Records.
The Art of Living has always recognized music as a profound means of experiencing harmony with oneself and has organized many events of music and dance. Coming from different religions, castes and sections of society, artistes have performed together in previous concerts like: • Naadha Vaibhavam - 5,000 Carnatic muscisians performing in unison in Chennai. • Antarnaad - 2,750 Hindustani classical vocalists in an enchanting spectacle in Pune. • Brahm Naad- 1,094 sitar artistes from across the country in New Delhi. • Silver Jubilee celebrations of the Art of Living - 3,500 musicians performing together for the first time in Bangalore.
